Where do most earthquakes occur?

A:

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Most earthquakes occur along the boundaries between the Earth's tectonic plates. The crust of the Earth is divided into plates. When a plate collides with or slides past another plate, this causes earthquakes. For example, as the Pacific plate moves past the North American plate, many earthquakes occur along the coast of California.

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Earthquakes can also occur in the middle of a plate if there is a fault. As the plates move, they are subject to a great deal of stress, and this causes weak points to develop away from the edge of the plate. Over time, enough stress can accumulate and cause an earthquake along such a fault.

Seismic activity is described by geologists as an elastic wave traveling through the Earth following an earthquake or other geological disturbance. Seismic activity encompasses the frequency, size and type of earthquake, according to the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, which monitors seismic activity throughout the world.

Earthquakes are extremely destructive, causing damage to property and triggering tsunamis, but they are also constructive forces creating mountains by the movement of tectonic plates. The earthquakes themselves are triggered by the movement of these plates, which causes movement and destruction on the Earth's surface.

As of 2014, estimates suggest that over 500,000 earthquakes occur each year, and 100,000 of these are strong enough to be felt by humans. Since 1900, there has been a global average of 18 major earthquakes, and one giant earthquake, each year.